Gunmen Kill 6 on S. Africa Train

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Gunmen fired on a packed commuter train Tuesday in the black township of Soweto, killing six people and injuring 18, police said.

Officers said they did not have a motive for the attack. But it was similar to several incidents on black commuter trains in the last year that were believed linked to factional fighting in the townships.

Police spokesman Col. Tienie Halgryn said three of the injured were in serious condition after the 6 a.m. shooting. The number of gunmen was not known, but police found five different types of empty cartridges on the train.

Most factional violence has involved supporters of the African National Congress and the rival Inkatha Freedom Party, and more than 6,000 blacks have died since their power struggle erupted in 1986.

The white-led government and the rival black groups agreed Saturday to work together on a committee that would seek solutions to violence. But a total of 22 people died in attacks Saturday and Sunday.